I'll Be Home for Christmas
by Sooty Wing
Summary: [Oneshot] Haru gets lost on the way to Shigure's house on Christmas.


Title: I'll Be Home for Christmas

Summary: Hatsuharu gets lost on the way to Shigure's house for Christmas.

Rating: G

Warnings: Possible manga spoilers

Disclaimer: If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. I don't own that quote because Kyo said it, and due to the fact I don't own Kyo, I don't own the quote, and because I don't own the quote, I don't own Fruits Basket. I also don't own the song, "I'll Be Home for Christmas".

Main Characters: Haru and Rin, you could possibly interpret it as Haru/Rin, but not necessarily

Note: Happy Holidays!

Hatsuharu looked around, completely bewildered. Despite the fact that he had walked to Shigure's house a million times before, nothing around him looked familiar now. He passed the school almost an hour ago; he should have been there by now.

He sighed, and moved out of the way so an old lady with five shopping bags didn't knock him over. Now, what did Hatori say he should do if he got lost? Calling the main house didn't work because he couldn't tell them where he was, so all that accomplished was annoying the servants. Besides he didn't have any money to use a pay phone.

_**I'll be home for Christmas.**_

_**You can count on me.**_

Retrace his steps, that was it. Too bad he couldn't remember which way he came from due to the ocean of people trying to finish Christmas shopping and get home. He stepped over to a more hilly area, before he got run over, the snow crunching beneath his boots.

_I think I've been here before. _Haru realized suddenly. But when? And which way to go? _If only I had paid attention to where I was going instead of getting caught up in my own thoughts. _

A falling snowflake jerked his senses back to reality, and reality was very cold. Haru shivered and looked around as more snowflakes began to fall. It was snowing again. He exhaled slowly and then inhaled the crisp air, pointing his head towards the falling snow.

_**Please have snow,**_

_**And mistletoe,**_

_**And presents 'neath the tree.**_

_Hatori's going to kill me. _He thought briefly. But everything looked so different with the snow, how could he possibly find his way around?

He looked forward again, and nearly jumped when he saw a dark horse standing off to the side, staring at him with an obvious air of impatience.

_Rin…? _But it couldn't be, unless she escaped the main house again. Which, in all fairness, was very possible considering she had done it before. Haru walked towards her and started to say something before the horse darted away, much faster than he could walk.

_But…why? _Haru followed the hoof prints she had left behind and a few minutes later saw the dark body of the horse standing beneath a tree. He tried to go up to her again, but she bolted before he even had a chance to open his mouth.

_Is this a game? _The ox thought angrily. _If it is, it isn't funny. _But Haru followed Rin's prints anyway, fully intending to tell her that whatever she was doing, it was funny. _It can't be that she doesn't like being seen in horse form. After all, I've seen her horse form a million times. _

_**Christmas eve will find me,**_

_**Where the love light gleams. **_

Ha! There she was, and she hadn't noticed him yet. Her eyes were partially closed as she inhaled and exhaled loudly. "Rin…" he began, but as soon as he spoke, Rin's head snapped up and she turned and ran, midnight tail streaming behind her.

_Maybe something's wrong with her._ Haru thought, suddenly worried, _Maybe she's sick and is trying to hide it. _Rin was notoriously proud and wouldn't ask for help if her arm was about to be severed. Hatsuharu followed her once again, jogging, and feeling ridiculously like a dog being led on a leash.

After some time, Haru realized that Rin was leading him through wilderness and forest instead of towns and cities. _She just doesn't want to be seen. _He reasoned, _But what if she's really hurt? I've got to find her!_

Hatsuharu, for all his endurance, was starting to get tired and numb from the cold. Fortunately for him, whenever he glimpsed Rin, she too looked weary. Most of the time though, all he could see was her tail raised high as she ran before he had to stop to catch his breath.

_**I'll be home for Christmas.**_

_**If only in my dreams.**_

Even when he was close enough to see the determination in her dark eyes, Haru never reached out to her. He wasn't that dumb. When she wanted to, she could really _hurt _someone.

Horses have remarkably long endurance, but Rin was getting tired. Her canter had slowed to a steady trot, until finally all she could manage was a fast walk. But a horse's walk could be much faster than a tired human's walk, and Haru was getting tired. Tired of chasing her, tired of walking, tired of the falling snow. He gave up trying to find out what she was doing, he just trudged through the snow shivering and following the hoof prints.

_**I'll be home for Christmas.**_

_**You can count on me.**_

_**Please have snow,**_

_**And mistletoe,**_

_**And presents 'neath the tree.**_

Suddenly Hatsuharu stopped. The hoof prints had stopped—but were replace with human footprints. Very bare human footprints. _She's going to freeze! _He thought wildly and broke out into a run, but relaxed (a little) when he saw that hoof prints once again became the trail. _She must have been too weak and changed back. _

After a while, Haru just stopped paying attention to anything except the continuous hoof prints. Rin had gotten far ahead of him, he didn't even see a flash of black now and then.

Soon, the prints stopped going straight on the path. There was a wide, empty place as if Rin had jumped and then the hoof prints skidded off into the woods. It'd be impossible to follow her now.

_**Christmas eve will find me.**_

_**Where the love light gleams.**_

_**I'll be home for Christmas**_

_**If only in my dreams.**_

"Hatsuharu-san!" Haru looked up at the sudden voice and found himself staring at none other than Honda Tohru. The hoof prints had stopped right in front of Shigure's house. "Oh, you look so cold! Come in, we were getting so worried!"

"I'm s-sorry for m-making you worry." Haru answered, shivering. Tohru ran off to get some blankets and make tea, so Haru let himself in.

Hatori was on the phone when he came in, and was answering, "Yes. Alright. We'll look." Hatori gave Haru a look that plainly said _I'll deal with you later. _

_**If only in my dreams….**_

Hatsuharu took this as his cue to leave, but as Hatori hung up the phone, he blocked Haru's escape. "Rin ran off again today." He began, "You don't happen to know anything about this, do you?"

"I got lost," was the only explanation Haru offered. Hatori shook his head but didn't say anything, and left to tell Shigure to keep an eye out for Rin.

Haru took one more look outside before completely shutting the door. The snow was still falling steadily, blanketing the ground.

The hoof prints were gone.

_**I'll be home…**_


End file.
